Fall Comes to the Market

Photos: September 16, 2016

The market is taking on the distinct look of fall. The pumpkins are moving in - in every size and colour.



Mounds of mums are waiting to be bought. Cool weather flowers to extend the outdoor gardens.



Some summer fruit lingers on - wild blueberries and raspberries. They are slowly being replaced by plums and apples, or crab apples as the tree fruits ripen.



Enjoy this burst of colour. The days are getting shorter...



The harvest moon reminds us that colder weather is coming.

Self-Restraint

Photos: August 30, 2016

All I wanted was coffee. As I waited in line I had to pass the pastry counter ... slowly. There were several in front of me so I had plenty of time to peruse this display of decadence.

Each item seemed to be more calorie-full than the one before. One slice of these would probably be my total calorie needs for a day or more.

I have to admit, as I get older, these tempt me less, which is not to say I don't have other food weaknesses. Fortunately, this time of year they run to the more healthy abundance of fresh fruit!

Restraint Amidst Plenty

A trip to Atwater Market in summer requires a lot of restraint. The stalls overflow with tempting fresh produce. I came home with only what was on my list which took a lot of will power. I have a busy week coming up. There will not be time to cook and freeze so I could only buy what we could consume in a short time.



Vegetables seem to come in multiple colours - things I had never seen as a child growing up with far too many tinned vegetables and fruit, especially in winter. The lure of trying new variations on a familiar theme. I guess this week, that will have to be via music!

The Season of Abundance

Photos: June 30, 2016

It's the season of abundance when the market is filled with local produce. The asparagus season is slowly coming to an end, but local strawberries have appeared.



The Atwater Market is not a farmer's market. It is a permanent fixture, running all year. Outdoor stalls are dismantled in November and reappear in April, but some of the stalls move into an enclosed area. The stalls sell a mix of local and imported produce, but now is the season when you see more and more locally grown food, often identified with signs sporting little fleur-de-lys, the symbol of Quebec.

You can buy all kinds of things at the market from food to flowers. This seller was trying to entice buyers to celebrate Canada Day (July 1) with bouquets of red and white flowers. 

Shopping at the market is about so much more than buying. It is about stopping to chat with the local seller of L'Itinéraire, a newspaper written and sold by itinerants - people who have had substance abuse issues, are underemployed or unemployed, and who gain a sense of self-worth and dignity through their writing. The fellow at the market has written some books and proudly shared that he was asked to write a two page spread about his neighbourhood for the bilingual paper. I bought a copy. Or exchanging with the woman who sells vegetables and berries, who is always there with a hello and a few words, even if I buy nothing. It is about relationships, about respect for the smaller merchants and valuing small producers.

Another Day of Being a Tour Guide

I took my friends to Mile End - a part of Montreal with winding staircases and cast iron balconies.



Some people were curious about why we were photographing. One man stuck his head out a window and inquired. He seemed to be reassured that we three women of a certain age were not a threat to the neighbourhood.



I love finding vestiges of the past. As addresses on the streets became standardized numbers changed. New address plates certainly don't have the elegance of the original.

Although we had stopped at the bagel bakery, we did need lunch - a stop at Atwater Market...




We are beginning to get local produce (though some is grown in greenhouses). With more and more people aware of their carbon footprint, the sellers are careful to identify locally grown food - the fleur de lys is the symbol for Quebec and thus Quebec grown.



This time of year there is a sea of flowers waiting to be planted. These stalls will stay open all summer, though they will transition to fall flowers as well as pumpkins as autumn sets in.



I always enjoy finding new public art. There was a series of these "log cabins" - fun and whimsical.



Dinner in Old Montreal - we covered a lot of territory despite a very cold afternoon. Laughter, shared meals and a few glasses of wine have definitely cemented our friendship.

Flowers at the Market

A profusion of flowers waiting for buyers sit in the chilly air. The stalls are all set up and full of many colours.



I don't envy the sales people who stand outside all day. Temperatures only reached around 10°C (around 50°F) and there was a stiff, cold breeze.



If you have a smaller space, you can purchase a ready planted basket. These animal planters were new to me this year. I don't think one will be making its way to my balcony.



I love to see the sea of flowers. And then there are the decisions of what to plant this year.

Everything Maple

It's that time of year - when the days are warm and the nights are cold - the sap runs. Did you know that Canada produces 71% of the world's maple syrup and of that, 91% comes from Quebec? I recently read that maple syrup is being investigated as a possible preventative for Alzheimer's.



I was shopping at Atwater Market. This stall, which sells all kinds of maple products, is located outside all winter. I bought some maple butter - a decadent spread. Maple syrup on yogourt, on pancakes, on French toast or added to a recipe instead of sugar. Maple-flavoured syrup will never find its way into my home - only pure 100% maple syrup.

Shopping at Atwater Market

I'm definitely a city person, taking advantage of the culture a city has to offer. But when it comes to shopping, I'm more of a smaller town person. I hate the big box stores and impersonal supermarkets. While I do shop there I never feel the same as when I go to Atwater Market. This is not a farmer's market - the individual store owners get meat, fish and produce from a variety of sources. What I like are the personal interactions. At each stall or shop I can talk to the people serving, get recommendations and get questions answered.



This organic stall is staffed by lovely people. As I make my selections we chat - about food, about the weather and even about politics.



This cheese store is a frequent stop for me. A number of the clerks recognize me when I enter and are ready with suggestions for the cheeses they know I like to buy. My spouse prefers to eat goat and sheep cheeses. Quebec has many fine cheese producers. Yesterday, included in my basket, was a new raw milk goat cheese by a Quebec artisanal cheese maker.



While flowers are not usually on my shopping list, yesterday I stopped and bought a small pot of primroses. In addition to learning about how to care for them (this just doesn't happen at a supermarket), I learned about how the owner keeps track of the weather and knows when people are more likely to come and buy flowers.

The people in the organic butcher shop recognize me. I get a smile and "À la prochaine" (see you next time)  as I leave. The fish store makes sure the fish I buy is really fresh and lets me know where it comes from. I leave the market laden with bags of good food and a feeling that I have not just ticked items off my list but I have visited the village stores and built relationships.

Ready for December

The scene is changing at Atwater Market. Where once there were flats of flowers, followed by pumpkins, now there are trees springing up and these odd creatures. It is the invasion of the wooden reindeer - a large herd of them.



This year a large moose looks over the area. I'm not sure what its relation is to Christmas. Trees of every size wait for the right customer to bring them home.



The wrapping machine waits. The air is tinged with the scent of spruce. December is around the corner.

To Market

Off to the market
To shop But also
To savour the sights
And aromas

Off to the market
To shop where the merchants
Smile and chat
And remember you



Off to the market
To spoil myself
With flowers and cheeses
And fresh baked bread



Off to the market
To smile at seasonal delights
And sit with a bowl of coffee
Enjoying the moment

Off to the market
To fill my bags
And bring them home
To savour the goods from the market

Garlic

Garlic, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

At Atwater Market, the abundance of food is astonishing. Colours, aromas, temptations abound. I managed to come home only with what was on my list - a feat of self-discipline.

Cabbage

Cabbage, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I've been remiss - not as many photos lately, and taking far longer to blog about them. I could make many excuses, but sometimes I think we just need time away from certain activities.




This time of year I love to visit the market. The fall flowers fill parts of the parking area - a splash of colour fending off thoughts of cooler weather. I love the energy this weather gives and the flowers on my balcony are signalling their appreciation of this fresh feeling by rewarding me with blooms. 

Turulu

Untitled, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

 Photo: June 16, 2013

I know I've said it before, but shopping at the market wins hands down over shopping in the supermarket. These musicians were busking, playing and singing delightful Québecois songs. Their music permeated the surroundings as I went about from stall to stall.

In the market, I am greeted with smiles as a returning customer. In addition to the open air stalls there are permanent stores. It is so much nicer to see the same clerks who begin to know your preferences and help out. The one caveat - I often buy too much as the sights and smells lure me into dreams of culinary delights.

Flowers at the Market

Flowers at the Market, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

After two weeks housebound with bronchitis, it was good to get out. I went shopping at the market and resisted temptation to take some of these home. Somehow March is always a time when I crave colour. Much of the snow has melted, but the city has a grimy feel as the melting snow leaves behind the dirt.
March is a tease. Some days feel like winter while others hint at the coming of spring.

Squash

Squash, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photos: January 25, 2013

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I love to go to the market. Each season lures me there for different reasons. Walking through the fruit and vegetable stalls in winter, I feel the pull of growth happening somewhere. It is amazing the variety of produce that finds its way to our shelves. No more the canned vegetable of my childhood!



Colours, textures grab the eye. We live in a place of abundance. I have my favourite stops: the organic butcher, the butcher who raises his own lambs, the sausage maker, the bakery, the cheese shop... And at each stop there is conversation.



And before all that - a coffee with or without a croissant or other delight to set me up for my shopping.

The Market

While my move is still requiring work - more to unpack, pictures to hang... my life is beginning to get back to a more normal pace. Shopping for food during the worst of the move, was a quick foray to a supermarket. Now, with a little more time to breathe, I headed to the market.

December at the market and the parking area is full of trees for sale. The light dusting of snow reminds us that soon winter will really set in. The market changes from season to season. Some of the outdoor stalls get temporary winter walls, while others disappear as November arrives. Part of the parking area changes from spring  and summer flower stalls to pumpkins and then to these trees and other seasonal decorations.



Now I do my shopping indoors. Unlike in a supermarket, here I linger - savouring a café au lait, enjoying eying all the delicacies displayed to entice. Somehow I always go home with a little more than I had planned. Shopping at the market is a personal experience. Each store requires a little conversation, not just a quick pass through the cashiers. I stop at my favourites, talking to the butcher that supplies organic meat, chatting with the woman in the bakery, discussing the merits of various cheeses in the cheese shop and more. I come home with a smile on my face, laden with bags of delights.

A Time of Plenty

A trip to the Atwater Market in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner was a treat. The air was crisp and the colours popped. And, as always, I bought too much - but it will get used.




On the menu - almost everything is local
Turkey - raised in Quebec
stuffing (my grandmother's recipe)
new potatoes, broccoli, salad - all locally grown
Apple cake - with Quebec apples
Strawberries - still local

It feels good to be able to serve mainly local food. Only too soon our growing season will be over and we will be shipping in fresh produce. In the meantime - a time to feast!

Where are you From

Where are you From, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I love to shop at Atwater Market. It is so much more personal than going to a supermarket. At each stall, each store, you start to develop a relationship with the merchants and you have an opportunity to talk about your purchases. With more awareness about freshness, genetically modified food, our carbon footprint, there is a quest for more local food. Now you even see these handmade signs pointing to produce from Quebec or other parts of Canada. Summer, the season of abundance, provides us with many local delights, but later in the year we will be back to relying on food shipped in from warmer climates.